Saudi Arabia seeks bids for Taif sewage treatment plant

Saudi Arabia is seeking bids for the development of a new major independent sewage treatment plant (ITSP) near the city of Taif in the kingdom’s Makkah province.

In a statement by Saudi utility firm Water & Electricity (WEC), the new ITSP will have a total treatment capacity of up to 70,000 m3/day.

Part of WEC’s ambitious programme of ITSP’s across the kingdom, the new facility comes as part of Saudi’s Vision 2030 drive to ensure the future reliable provision of sewage treatment services for its citizens.

WEC said it will conduct a competitive process to select a developer or developer consortium for the development, financing, engineering, procurement, construction, implementation, ownership, operation, maintenance, and transfer of the project, alongside associate infrastructure and facilities.

Under a 25-year sewage treatment agreement (STA) with WEC, the company to be tasked with developing the project will treat the entire sewage capacity supplied by WEC. The utility firm said its obligations under the STA will be supported by a credit support agreement from the Saudi Arabian government.

The deadline to submit applications to tender is set for 27 January, 2019.

The news comes amid concerted efforts by Saudi Arabia to boost its construction capabilities as part of its Vision 2030 agenda, which is more widely aimed at long-term economic diversification.

In December 2018, Saudi Arabia Basic Industries Corp (Sabic) entered a contract with Saudi Contractors Authority to raise and enhance standards in the country’s construction industry – the second largest non-oil economic sector in the kingdom.

As part of the deal, Sabic will share its expertise with the contracting body to improve practices and contribute to the successful and safe implementation of local construction projects, which in turn is expected to boost Saudi’s Vision 2030 plans.